Biz Scene: Local

Xinjiang freeway

Construction has begun on a freeway that will form a key part of a Central Asian highway network between Korla and Kuqa, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The section of China's No 314 national trunk road will take three years to complete construction and the road would be open by 2010, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The freeway is expected to help promote economic growth and trade between China, central and western Asian nations and Europe.

Wedding dress

A traditional Chinese wedding dress displayed at a shopping mall in Wuhan has attracted people in droves. The red dress, decorated with platinum thread, has been priced at 2 million yuan. Its designer, Vivienne Tam, said she has spent more than a year making the dress.

The dress is based on the Qing Dynasty style and incorporates some contemporary fashion elements.

Tibet tourism

More than 3 million tourists have traveled to Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the first nine months of the year, up 65 percent over the same period last year.

The figure is 500,000 more than for the whole of last year, which was reportedly 2.5 million.

The influx of tourists brought 1 billion yuan in revenue to the Himalayan region, an increase of 90 percent, statistics from the Tibet autonomous regional tourism bureau show.

(China Daily 09/27/2007 page15)